The present invention relates to anti-pilferage packaging of merchandise sold in retail and discount stores. More particularly, the present invention relates to thermoformed packaging for relatively small merchandise and an accompanying information/advertising insert.
It is common to use thermoformed blister packaging for small merchandise. A blister is adhered to a backing substrate, typically a card or another thermoformed panel, with the merchandise enclosed between the blister and the backing substrate. The backing substrate is capable of containing instructional or advertising text, pictures, and pricing codes, while the typically transparent blister containing the merchandise is affixed to the surface of the backing substrate. This is a desirable form of packaging because, despite being packaged, customers are still able to view the product through the plastic. Also, small merchandise packaging needs to remain small enough in size to maximize use of limited shelf space, yet large enough to remain visibly appealing to customers. The larger size also prevents theft to the degree the item cannot be easily concealed and removed from the store. However, this conventional blister packaging has been susceptible to thievery, in that the blister is easily removed from the substrate and the merchandise contained therein easily pocketed. Further, pictures and text were restricted to both the size and the shape of the backing substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,450 discloses a conventional blister package having a backing substrate containing printed text, and a transparent blister which adheres to the substrate and is shaped to receive a similarly shaped product. There is no provision for an insert to be included within the blister package, nor does the reference provide a solution to the easily removable blister which has been susceptible to thievery of goods marketed in blister packages. Therefore, this reference is subject to all of the. limitations and shortcomings of the conventional art.
It is also known in the art to use two transparent panels which nest to form a so-called clamshell container. One or both of the transparent panels are provided with a blister for containing merchandise. U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,984 discloses such a package, and further provides for a display card to be sandwiched between the two transparent panels. However, the reference is directed to packaging molded to receive a camera only. Moreover, the display card contained within the packaging must accommodate the shape of the camera in order to be sandwiched between the panels. Also, as mentioned above, pictures and text are restricted to the size and shape of the display card, and the arrangement of the pictures and text are further restricted by the cut-out camera silhouette.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,913 also discloses a packaging assembly which includes an insert sandwiched between two transparent panels. However, this reference does not disclose incorporating the insert as a functional feature of the packaging, nor does it even disclose packaging both the product and the insert between the same two panels. Instead, the insert is intended for informational purposes only, and the insert is not accounted for when the panels are configured. Thus, this packaging assembly cannot easily accommodate larger or irregularly shaped inserts.
Another drawback of conventional blister packaging is that any insert packaged with the product is restricted in size and configuration, because the shape and size of the insert should not interfere with the compact size and shape of the blister package. Further, the insert should not infringe upon the space allowed for the item to be encased within the packaging.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved blister package which incorporates the insert as a functional component of the packaging without increasing the size of the packaging.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved blister package which is configured to have a pocket of a predetermined size in which an insert can be placed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved blister package capable of enclosing an insert which facilitates retention of the product within the blister.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide an improved blister package wherein the size and shape of the insert is independent of the size and shape of the product to be packaged.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved blister package which deters theft of the packaged product by causing the blister package to be difficult to open.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved blister package having an anti-theft sensor contained within the insert.
The above-listed objects are met or exceeded by the present packaging assembly, featuring an insert which fits into a pocket configured and arranged to receive the insert, where the insert facilitates retention of the product within the blister. The present packaging assembly contains front and rear panels which mate in a nesting engagement. The front and rear panels are configured so that a pocket of a predetermined size and configuration is created when the panels nest. This pocket is dimensioned to contain or enclose a corresponding insert of similar size and configuration, which supports and confines the product within the blister, and preferably conceals an anti-theft sensor.
More specifically, the present invention provides a packaging assembly including a rear panel which includes a rear central portion with a rear surface and a rear skirt, and a rear peripheral flange linearly displaced from the central portion by the rear skirt. It also provides for a front panel which includes a front central portion with a front surface and a front skirt, and a front peripheral flange linearly displaced from the central portion by the front skirt. The front panel is configured for nesting with the rear panel. In addition, a pocket is defined when the front and rear panels are placed in nesting engagement with each other, wherein the linear displacement between the front central portion and the front peripheral flange is greater than the linear displacement between the rear central portion and the rear peripheral flange. A blister on the front panel is dimensioned for receiving a product, and an insert is sized and configured for insertion into the pocket for confining the product within the blister.